Flash-shearing machine



April 29, 1930. TQRMYN 1,756,918

FLASH SHEARING MACHINE Filed Aug. l, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 29, 1930. H TORMYN FLASH SHEARING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1, 1927 Patented Apr. 22, 1938 OFFICE HERMAN TORMYN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL MOTORS CORPO- RATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FLASH-SHEARING MACHINE Application filed August 1, 1927. Serial No. 209,794.

This invention relates to a machine and a method for trimming the rough edges or flash from cylindrical or spherical surfaces formed when two half sections have been welded together.

A universal joint ball housing is formed by casting or otherwise shaping the separate half sections and then welding the two parts. The welding operation leaves two seams with a rough edge or flash on the outer and inner side of each seam. A machine for removing the rough outer portion forms the subject matter of my co-pending application Ser. No.

. 209,7 93. The object of the present invention is to remove the inner rough portion by a single operation. To attain this end I have constructed the device illustrated in the drawings and described in detail below.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional View with parts broken away, illustrating the position of the machine at the beginning of the operation.

Figure 2 is a similar view taken at an intermediate point in the operating stroke.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the structure with parts broken away.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the device, partly in section.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the cutting element.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the stationary support or bed on which is rigidly mounted, by means of the screws or bolts 12, the base 14 of the machine. Vertically slidable with relation to the base 14 is the upper or driving section16 and the lower or driven section 18 of the operating mechanism. These two sections are guided in their vertical movement by guide bolts 20 extending through vertical guide slots in said upper and lower sections and in the base 14. Fixed to the underside of the base is the stop or abutment plate 22, held in place by means of countersunk screws 23.

Suspended beneath the base 14 by means of bolts 24 is the cushion which comprises an upper plate 26, a lower plate 28 and the compression element 30. In the embodiment illustrated this compression element comprisesa bale of compressible substance such as rubber though other devices, such as coil springs, may be used. The lower plate 28 is held against downward displacement by the bolts 24, connected with the base 14. The upper plate 26 is normally held up against the bottom of the stop plate 22 by the compression member 30 but is capable of being moved downward gainst the tension of said compression element.

Extending downward through the lower section 18 and through corresponding openings in the base 14 are the push rods 32. The 'lower ends of these rods, ordinarily four in number, bear against the upper surface of the upper plate 26.

Fixed to the lower section 18 by means of bolts 34 is the support for the cutting mechahism. This support comprises the lower half bearing 36, extending over the heads of the push rods 32, and the upper half bearing 38. Rotatable in the bearings is the shaft 40 carrying the gear 42. On each end of the shaft is a disk 44 on which is keyed a complementary disk 46 carrying a cutter 48. In one side of the half bearings, the lower section 18 and the base 14 are registering vertical slots to provide a guide way for therack 50. This rack is provided with teeth meshing with the teeth of the gear 42. The lower end of the rack is provided with shoulders 52 which abut against corresponding shoulders 54 in the base 14. The rack 50 is thus permitted limited vertical reciprocation between the shoulders 54 and the stop plate 22. A slot 51 is provided in the lower side of the upper section 16 to allow the latter to move its full distance downward Without striking the rack 50.

Upper dies 56 and lower dies 58 are pro.- vided on the opposed faces of the upper and lower sections 16 and 18 respectively, these dies being shaped to fit over and tightly clamp the ball housing, hereinafter referred to as the work. Grooves 60 are provided-in the dies 56 and 58 to accommodate the flash on each side of the work. The flash grooves I 'insure that the work will be held against rotation.

1 The operation of my device is as follows. With the parts of the machine in the position illustrated in Figure 1, 'the operator places a ball housing or work 19 over each cutter 48 and down in the grooves in the lower halves 58 in the dies, fitting the flashes in the grooves 60 as described. The upper or driving section 16 is then moved downward by any desired means, hand operated or power operated (not shown). During the initial movement of the upper section 16 the lower or driven section 18 remains stationary until the dies 56 and 58 clamp the works. The parts are then in the position illustrated in Figure 4. The next part ofthe operation is the movement of the upper and lower sections 16 and 18 further downward till the bottom of the rack 50 contacts with the top of the stop plate 22. During this movement there has been some friction between the cutters and the work, and this friction is suflicient to hold the cutters, and hence the pinion 42 and rack 50, against rotation. This delayed movement permits the dies to clamp the work firmly before the cutter is rotated, as the resistance of the cushion to movement of the lower die increases as it moves downward.

After the rack abuts against the stop plate 22, however. continued movement downward causes the pinion 42 to rotate with the result that the cutters are rotated. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention the size and arrangement of the parts is such that the cutters are rotated only a half revolution. It is obvious however that the length of the downward stroke can be increased by lengthening the parts and the pinion caused to rotate a complete revolution. In the present embodiment the work must be turned over and the stroke repeated to make the operation complete. During downward movement of the parts, the compression element 30 is compressed, as illustrated in Figure 2.

After the downward stroke the upper section 16 is moved upward. The force of the compression member 30, acting through the plate 26 on the lower end of the rods 32,

moves the lower section 18 upward. As there is some friction between the cutters and the work, the pinion 42 is held against rotation until the shoulders 52 of the rack strike the shoulders 54 of the base 14. Continued upward movement of the sections 16 and 18 rotates the pinion 42 back to its original position.- When the plate 26 abuts against the stop plate 22, there is nothing to lift the bottom section 18 further and the upper-section 16 is lifted on alone to its fully raised position, illustrated in Figure 1.

I claim: 1. A machine for removing the flash from a metallic work comprising a support, a

driven section movable relative to said support and carrying a rotatable cutter, a die on the driven section adapted to position said Work adjacent said cutter, means for resiliently holding said section in predetermined position, a reciprocable driving element adapted to move said section against said resilient means, and means operable by movement of said driven section for rotating said cutter.

2. A machine for removing the flash from a metallic work comprising a support, a driven section movable relative to said support and carrying a rotatable cutter, a die on the driven. section adapted to position said work adjacent said cutter, a cushion mounted adjacent said support and supporting said driven section, a reciprocable driving element adapted to move said driven section against the tension of said cushion, and means operable by movement of said driven section for rotating said cutter. I

3. A machine for removing the flash from a metallic work comprising a support, a driven section movable relative to said support and carrying a .rotatablecutter, a pinion rotatable with said cutter, a toothed rack meshing with said pinion, a die on the driven section adapted to position the work adjacent the cutter, means for resiliently holding said section in predetermined position, a reciprocable driving element adapted to move said section against said resilient means, and an abutment for engaging said rack during movement of the driven section.

4. A machine for removing the flash from a metallic work comprising a support, a cushion mounted adjacent said support, a driven section movable relative to said support and held in position by said cushion, a rotatable cutter on said section, a die on said section adapted to position said work adjacent said cutter, a reciprocable: driving element adapted to move said section against the tension of said cushion, and means operable by move ment of said driven section for rotating said cutter.

5. A machine for removing the flash from a metallic work comprising a support, a driven section movable relative to said support and carrying a rotatable cutter, a die on the driven section adapted to position the work adjacent the cutter, means for resiliently holding said section in predetermined position, a reciprocable driving section adapted to contact the work and move. said section against the tension of the resilient means, and means operated by movement of said section for rotating said cutter, and means for delaying the operation of said means until the section has passed an intermediate point in its movement.

6. A machine for removing the flash from the inside of a partially spherical metallic work comprising a movable work holder, a

rotatable cutter carried by the holder, a drive pinion for said cutter, a reciprocatory member movable to first clamp the work on said holder and then move the holder, and a fixed rack engageable with said drive pinion for automatically rotating said cutter upon movement of the work holder.

7. A machine for removing material from the inside of a hollow article, including a work holder, a shaft mounted thereon having a pinion a rack engageable with said pinion, a cutter carried by said shaft over which the article is placed on said holder, and a driving element adapted to clamp the article in place and move said work holder, whereby the cutter is rotated by the relative movement between the pinion and rack.

8. A machine for removing material from the inside of a hollow article including a work holder adapted to be moved through a predetermined path of travel, a shaft mounted thereon having a pinion, a rack engageable with said pinion, means to permit the movement of said rack with the holder for a portion of the travel of said holder and to thereafter hold the rack stationary, a cutter carried by said shaft over which the article is placed on said holder, and means to move the holder whereby the cutter is rotated during the relative movement of the rack and holder.

9. A machine for removing material from an article including a pair of separable work holders movable relative to each other and also in unison, a reciprocatory operating member therefor carrying one of the holders, a resilient support for the other holder which yields to accommodate the unison movement of saidholders, a rotatable cutter carried by the last mentioned holder, a rack and pinion associated with the cutter and means to hold the rack stationary upon. the unison movement of the work holders whereby said cuttor is rotated.

10. A machine for removing material from an article including a separable work holder, comprising a driving section and a driven section movable with the driving section when the sections are closed about the work, an elastic support for the driven section. a rack having limited movement with said work holder. a pinion engageable with said rack and rotatable thereby after the rack has reached the limit of its movement, and a cutter associated with said pinion.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HERMAN TORMYN. 

